


Similes

by yeaka



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 10:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15434916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Spock thinks he’s clever.





	Similes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissManiac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissManiac/gifts).



> A/N: Fill for MissManiac’s “[a kiss] "9. ...in public" with Spock/McCoy. Preferably AOS, and preferably Spock doing the kissing (and not out of something like one of the them being horifically wounded)” request on [my tumblr prompt list](http://yeaka.tumblr.com/post/176075204220/prompt-list).
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Trek or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

Leonard is precisely five minutes late. Spock spends the first two minutes assuming that nothing is out of the ordinary—humans are often ‘fashionably late,’ as they like to call it, although Spock has yet to find any correlation between timing and clothing. For the other three minutes, Spock considers that, perhaps, his efforts are ‘too little, too late.’ Hope is a human emotion, but Spock’s human half traitorously hopes he’s wrong.

Six minutes after the designated time, Leonard McCoy enters the restaurant. Despite the low lighting provided by dim fluorescent bulbs mounted in the ceiling, Spock spots him easily. Leonard stops for one moment to confer with the hostess, who turns towards Spock’s table and points him out. He chose a small, two-person booth in the corner, wanting to be as out of the way as possible, but Leonard sees him too and nods. 

As Leonard approaches the table, Spock assesses his outfit. He’s wearing simple black pants and a white button-up shirt—typical off-duty human clothes. It’s slightly disconcerting to note how informal it is compared to the crisp grey suit Spock’s donned for the occasion—obviously, Leonard doesn’t place much importance on this meeting. Spock refuses to be dissuaded.

Leonard reaches him and slips onto the plush bench across from Spock, glancing around and idly drawling, “’But dark in here, isn’t it?”

“I believed it would contribute to the ‘mood,’” Spock answers, which earns him a small snort. Continued exposure to the Enterprise’s mostly-human crew has enlightened Spock exponentially on human concepts and phrasing. What he doesn’t say is that he also wanted somewhere most species would have difficult seeing across. He recognizes that his gesture will mean more, in human terms, in a public setting, but he would still vastly prefer privacy.

For a minute, the two of them are silent. Though the restaurant is only half full, no waiters arrive with menus; Spock specifically asked to be given fifteen minutes without distractions. They need to have a conversation. 

It would’ve been easier to just do it on the ship. But then R&R came up, and Jim told him, ‘go big or go home.’ Spock respects Jim’s opinion, particularly in the relationship arena, and he isn’t yet ready to return to Vulcan.

He announces, “I value you.”

Leonard blinks. Spock can already tell that Leonard’s not going to make this easy, which isn’t a surprise. 

“While your emotionalism can often lead to combative behaviour hardly conducive to a relationship, I do find you otherwise intelligent and... attractive. I wish for our union to continue.”

Leonard’s eyebrows knit together. Spock would place the look as puzzlement, but sometimes it’s difficult to tell. When Leonard says nothing in return, Spock knows he only has one option. If he wants to keep a human boyfriend, which he very much does, he has to display a willingness to adapt and make compromises. He knows what that compromise must be. 

With a steadying breath that isn’t at all an adequate amount of meditation, Spock folds his hands over the table and leans across it. He chose a small table for this very reason. Leonard remains stock still as Spock comes in to brush their lips together. Closing his eyes, Spock presses against Leonard’s mouth, simulating a static but lingering kiss.

When he pulls back again, he’s quietly relieved to find Leonard grinning. Leonard grunts, “Did you just kiss me?” Spock stiffly nods. “In _public_?”

“I saw no choice.”

Leonard snorts, shakes his head, and demands, “Alright, hobgoblin, what am I missing? What’s going on here?”

It’s Spock’s turn to lift a brow, puzzled. He would’ve thought that would be obvious. “I am attempting to counter our latest fight. After reviewing the differences in our cultures, I now understand why you said I was ‘too cold’ when you last extricated me from your quarters. However, I believe this is something I can fix.” A good example of that is just how far Spock’s come in understanding human euphemisms.

Leonard just _looks_ at him, then _laughs_ : a sharp, boisterous chuckle that draws the eyes of several other tables around them. Spock clasps his hands together on the tabletop and refuses to look elsewhere. It takes Leonard a few seconds to laugh himself out, then he shakes his head and wheezes, “Sorry, sorry. _Spock_ , I was just being... I don’t know, grumpy. That mission was brutal. I’d had a hard day in sickbay and I was sweating like a dog. And then you come in, looking completely untouched, expecting our normal routine. When I said you were too cold, I mean you were literally _too cold_. And I normally adjust the temperature in my quarters because after a full shift, you deserve to be comfortable too, but that was just a shit day and I was _done_.”

It’s Spock’s turn to do nothing but blankly look at Leonard. Apparently, Leonard McCoy, a man of more metaphors than Spock will ever manage to detangle, meant it _literally_. Spock isn’t sure how he was ever meant to know that. 

Leonard adds, “We’re fine.” For that one, Spock assumes Leonard means their relationship is undamaged, as opposed to that the two of them are physically healthy.

All Spock can think to do is ask, “Why did you not make that clearer?”

Leonard snorts, “Because you’re ridiculous.” And he leans over to give Spock a hard, sloppy kiss that has Spock blushing green.


End file.
